1
as in totals
a complete amount of something
the sum of human knowledge on that subject
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in summaries
a short statement of the main points
the district attorney delivered a sum of the evidence against the accused that was simply staggering
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in heights
the highest part or point
he declared that he had reached the sum of joy when his newborn daughter was laid in his arms
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in roots
the central part or aspect of something under consideration
the sum of the issue is: who will pay for this?
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in adds
to combine (numbers) into a single sum
can sum figures in his head faster than I can punch them into a calculator
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of sums
Chloe Taylor, CNBC, 26 Mar. 2026
The utility business model involves borrowing substantial sums to invest in systems and later recovering costs from customers.
—Edmund H. Mahony, Hartford Courant, 25 Mar. 2026
But in the early 19th century, mathematicians started to encounter phenomena — infinite sums and strange, jagged curves, for instance — that defied their intuition for what was possible.
—Leila Sloman, Quanta Magazine, 25 Mar. 2026
Both sums are below pre-pandemic totals.
—Jake Sheridan, Chicago Tribune, 25 Mar. 2026
The two platforms settled with Kaley out of court for undisclosed sums before the trial.
—Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 25 Mar. 2026
He became known for poaching clients, extracting heroic sums for their work, and burnishing their reputations abroad.
—Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026
Two other gamblers won five-figure sums in California from last week’s draws.
—Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 17 Mar. 2026
Still, the food supply chain is incredibly energy-intensive, with high sums of energy required at each stage of the process.
—Jake Angelo, Fortune, 13 Mar. 2026
Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Feb. 2026
Fennell's version of the book promises to lean into the madness and passion of Cathy and Heathcliffe's doomed love—and this quote kind of sums it up.
—Meg Walters, InStyle, 28 Jan. 2026
Parents sat down with Avatar star and Academy Award-winner, Zoe Saldaña, who sums the film up beautifully.
—Katie Grant, Parents, 16 Dec. 2025
Still, according to the investigative media outlet Mongabay, Petroperú has accumulated nearly $100 million in penalties for environmental damage across the country — sums the highly indebted state-company is not likely to be able to pay in the foreseeable future.
—Sabrina Weiss, The Dial, 23 Sep. 2025
Dobbins’ impact for the Broncos can be measured in several ways, but one stat maybe sums it up as well as any.
—Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 22 Sep. 2025
Spence’s post on social media after Spurs’ victory over Man City at the Etihad perfectly sums him up.
—Jay Harris, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2025
Noun
In IconArrows pointing outwards CNBC Europe Multiple media reports have emerged in recent weeks that Iran has been charging ships vast sums to bypass traffic in the waterway.
—Chloe Taylor, CNBC, 26 Mar. 2026
The utility business model involves borrowing substantial sums to invest in systems and later recovering costs from customers.
—Edmund H. Mahony, Hartford Courant, 25 Mar. 2026
But in the early 19th century, mathematicians started to encounter phenomena — infinite sums and strange, jagged curves, for instance — that defied their intuition for what was possible.
—Leila Sloman, Quanta Magazine, 25 Mar. 2026
Both sums are below pre-pandemic totals.
—Jake Sheridan, Chicago Tribune, 25 Mar. 2026
The two platforms settled with Kaley out of court for undisclosed sums before the trial.
—Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 25 Mar. 2026
He became known for poaching clients, extracting heroic sums for their work, and burnishing their reputations abroad.
—Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026
Two other gamblers won five-figure sums in California from last week’s draws.
—Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 17 Mar. 2026
Still, the food supply chain is incredibly energy-intensive, with high sums of energy required at each stage of the process.
—Jake Angelo, Fortune, 13 Mar. 2026
Verb
Owner and hotel manager Andrea Scherz describes the look as mountain chic with a British touch, and that pretty much sums it up.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Feb. 2026
Fennell's version of the book promises to lean into the madness and passion of Cathy and Heathcliffe's doomed love—and this quote kind of sums it up.
—Meg Walters, InStyle, 28 Jan. 2026
Parents sat down with Avatar star and Academy Award-winner, Zoe Saldaña, who sums the film up beautifully.
—Katie Grant, Parents, 16 Dec. 2025
Still, according to the investigative media outlet Mongabay, Petroperú has accumulated nearly $100 million in penalties for environmental damage across the country — sums the highly indebted state-company is not likely to be able to pay in the foreseeable future.
—Sabrina Weiss, The Dial, 23 Sep. 2025
Dobbins’ impact for the Broncos can be measured in several ways, but one stat maybe sums it up as well as any.
—Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 22 Sep. 2025
Spence’s post on social media after Spurs’ victory over Man City at the Etihad perfectly sums him up.
—Jay Harris, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sums
Noun
-
High-elevation snow is expected Monday night into Tuesday and possibly again later in the week, but totals will be limited compared to earlier winter storms.—
Doyle Rice,
USA Today,
28 Mar. 2026
-
More than 3,100 rallies are expected nationwide, surpassing the totals of previous No Kings rallies.—
Paige Moore,
AZCentral.com,
28 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Video tools include text-to-video, image-to-video, caption generation, YouTube summaries, transcriptions, and translations.—
StackCommerce Team,
PC Magazine,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Translation tools, meeting summaries and captions have the ability to smooth over gaps in fluency and assist non-native speakers in writing emails, translating, and functioning more confidently in English-first settings.—
Aslesha Mehta,
Fortune,
23 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Similar to Jupiter's true superstorms, their activity lasted for months, but unlike true superstorms, their cloud towers only reached modest heights.—
Charles Q. Choi,
Space.com,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Peeps have been taken to new heights.—
Samantha Agate,
Charlotte Observer,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
But the film also sees the roots of toxic nativism elsewhere, especially in the wars being waged in Ukraine and Gaza, both of which become passing points of conversation.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
27 Mar. 2026
-
When the Tidal Basin floods, saltwater can saturate the soil and seep into the cherry trees' roots, which depend on dry land and fresh water to thrive.—
Dan Peck,
ABC News,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Jessica Hecht, playing one of the hostages, adds her typically off-beat depth, and I was most amused by John Ortiz as the FBI agent with the standard G-man voice and personality to match.—
Chris Jones,
New York Daily News,
31 Mar. 2026
-
It’s spread out over a clutch of open-air bamboo pavilions which overlook the Ayung River (the sound of babbling water adds an extra layer of Zen to the treatments).—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Only Spain misses out on the centerline, but long totalities are still possible there — up to 4 minutes, 40 seconds.—
Jamie Carter,
Space.com,
25 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
The system, called HEAPGrasp, reconstructs object shapes using only visual outlines captured through an RGB camera, enabling robots to reliably identify and grasp objects regardless of their optical properties.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
30 Mar. 2026
-
The legislative text closely follows the outlines of the voluntary deals the administration made with drugmakers.—
Ed Silverman,
STAT,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The cocktails were made out of 50 milliliter bottles of Absolut-brand vodka with gray cloth stuffed into the tops.—
Flint McColgan,
Boston Herald,
28 Mar. 2026
-
Manchester City was tops among EPL clubs for 2024-25 commercial revenue at $452 million.—
Kurt Badenhausen,
Sportico.com,
27 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sums.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sums. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
